The long road home
by XxwintersolsticexX
Summary: Story of Naruto's hardships as he struggles to keep his true identity away from the Uchihas'.
1. Found On Road Dead

_**A/N i think this is the updated version...............i may read it again latr**_

In the backstreets of Konaha Village a long haired, strawberry blond man stood towards the end of a dingy ally that had been closed in with large, newly furnished buildings as the village grew larger. He stood behind a rusted green garbage bin. The man was lanky, but in a short perspective, his looks were slightly feminine with blood red eyes. From a distance the young man of about 19 looked harmless and innocent, as he was, but up close he appeared to be demented, with cat-like slits for pupils and a rough, horribly gritty voice. This 'child' had a reputation for being a conniving and sneaky dealer. For that was how he had wanted.

"Whadda' ya want?" snarled the long haired man as a scraggly women limped her way over to him. despite her drawn out appearance Kit had guessed that she was around the age of 25.

"C-8." the costumer huffed out the coded product.

"500," Kit sighed coldly. "If you don't have it then come back some other time."

"I-I have something of value." The dealer glared at the wheezing woman expectantly. "H-h-here." Said women reached into her musty coat pocket to take out out that something. She silently handed over her memoir to the young man, who looked at the treasure wide eyed. "It's pure diamond, alhtoug it has a lavender tint to it, and it also has a pearl embedded on the top, were the silver mantle piece--"

"200." A sigh emanated from the women. Kit shoved a small white bag into the addict's frozen, un-gloved hands as he received a rather big wad of cash. she quickly turned her head to the entrance of the closed ally, and seeing that it was clear, ran hurriedly out of the perimeter, pulling out of her pocket what appeared to be a pipe. 'Hn' people these days.' Thought the dealer. 'So eager for the eternal damnation that awaits them. Hn.'

The sun was setting fast, and he needed to get out of there before the cops arrived to inspect the desolate area. 'They really are stupid, checking this ally at seven O' clock every evening.' Kit smiled inwardly to himself. He had been a drug dealer for eight years now, never indulging in the apparently 'addicting' herbs himself. It was just his way of making a living.

Kit stode across to an apartment building just around the corner of his 'sight.' He bent down onto his knees, and crawled into the large windburned cardboard box enforced with stray branches that the man had found and woven together. The money that teh teen earned had always gone to the most important necessities in life. Food. Said Kit had also purchased a neon orange fleece throw along with two midnight black pillow cases. The pillow? He stuffed fallen leaves into the fresh, clean, fabric.

Striding his hands up along his hairline, he slipped his fingernails under the cap and slipped it off. Underneath the girlish wig was bright blond hair, with long spikes coming near his shoulder. The man also raised his fingertips up to his eyeballs, pushed his eyelids open to discontinue the natural reflex to blink, and took out the wet contact, replacing them in a small white case. The kit also kept a toothbrush handy for he wasn't one to without hygiene. This new man's eyes were now a gorgeous sapphire blue. One that could even make the bluest sea in the Carribean jealous! His cerulean eyes blinked slowly, refreshing them so that they would return to there former brilliancy. The dirty blond took off the worn shirt that he had been wearing for the past three days. The once black shirt was an ashy gray from the surrounding dust that filtered around as the wind howled. His pants, were a rusty red, also from the oblivious dust. Now clad in just his orange boxers the said man stuffed all of his belongings inside of the spare pillowcase, then laid his head softly on the makeshift pillow, making a small crunch in the process.

The wind had picked up in the past few days, but now it was obliterating. Impaling the blond with miniscule water droplets as he tugged the soaked box to the main part of town. The lowly area that he usually resided in was were the water would be heading in a matter of hours, circling in his dealing ally, which, was the were the rampaging flood waters was always the deepest.

Huffing as he climbed a steep hill cascading with water the blond continued to search for an ideal location on the platform just ahead of him. 'Wonder how mom's handling this storm? Hmph.' Knowing her she's already moved in with someone,' the blond thought as he leaned against the cool aluminum siding of Ichiraku's Ramen, were he would be sleeping tonight. Kit sidled his 'house' under the awning of said stand. Stumbling numbly into his box-home the blond fell onto the soaked fabric, shivering more as the the rain permeated the roof and dripped down onto the dealer, leaving his body a little colder than was before as he drifted off into the black abyss that had been calling to him for the past hour; unsure of what was to come.

The next morning, two finely dressed men walked past the homeless man, merrily glancing at his sleeping figure. It wasn't as if they didn't care, but it was so hard to be homeless in the prospering economy that they simply felt that this kid had no excuse to be lying around, loafing the day away like the rest of the crackheads in the city. Continuing there walk to work, they simply left the blond lying in their wake without a single glance.

As the day progressed, the blond's heart rate began to slow, his skin changing from its honey-like appearance to translucent. His lips and nail bed were the first to turn blue. Kit had been trapped in a stupor the night before and had forgotten to remove his clothes and just lie on the heat-retaining fleece.

One of the two previous men trotted home from work for a short lunch break, which was incredibly late, seeming as it was three in the afternoon and the sun was slowly lowering itself to the horizon provided by the cultivated hills to the west. The raven haired man slowed to a brisk walk as he entered the shopping district were the roads themselves had been closed off to let the citizens room to ravage the shops comfortably.

Taking the same route as he and his older brother had taken earlier. The said man walked past Ichiraku's shop only to noticed that the blond he had seen earlier in the day still seemed to be sleeping soundly. Bending down onto one knee the raven gently tried to shake the slumbering fox awake, but instead, pulled away from his ice-cold skin at the moment he came into contact with it. Realizing that the matter was even more serious than he had originally thought, the man pressed his middle and index finger onto the blond's neck, feeling the barely audible pulse, he whipped out his cellphone, the Env2, and called 911 to have a feathery voice pick up on the other end.

"Hello, is this an emergency?"

"Obviously. I need an ambulance on the corner of L and N street immediately, I repeat at the corner of N and L street right outside of Ichiraku's Ramen Shop."

"We will be there ASAP sir." The woman stated calmly. Click. He hung up on the uncaring female voice and pulled the lathargic body onto his white slacks. Noticing how wet the boy in his arms was he quickly began to strip the kitsune, when but when he had reached the blond's boxers, his hand wavered, but didn't make a move to unclothe the mysterious man any further.

Red and blue lights were soon flashing as the fast moving box van turned the corner, clearing everyone out of the narrow one way street. Two white cloaked men quickly brought the stretcher form the vehicle, placed it near the man helping the unconciouse dealer and asked a few generic questions, abandoning it as they soon found that the said man knew nothing of the stiff figure. The men carefully took hold of the quivering blond and placed him on the snow white stretcher, dirtying it. His pupils were dilated as the paramedic peered into the glazed over organ, and determined that it was a severe case of Hypothermia, stating that they had no way of guaranteeing that he would survive.

The man who had rescued the homeless teen rode with the paramedics, who were startled at the well-known man that was accompanying them to save the sick kid in the back.

**Kit's POV**

There was strange men in white lab coats all around me, arguing about something called an IV. A very loud and obnoxious thrumming also seemed to be in my presence. My body felt cold as ice, I tried to move my toes.....nothing. It turned out that the weather had turned out fairly well after I had been drenched in rain caused by the supernatural force labeled as 'mother nature.' An omonuous man had rescued me too. My body began to shiver violently once the so called IV had been injected into the depth of my vein. Shortly afterwords a scratchy cotton blanket was pulled over my quivering body, settling it down a bit.

After a few short minutes of having a needle stuck into me for nutrition, I found my mind to still be incredibly foggy, unless of course that was just a sleeping aid. Who knew, they may even be trying to kill my homeless butt! But then again they would just get charged. Although, the more effort that I put into it, the faster the information and ability to think straight slipped away.

A few hours later I awoke with the feeling of a cold glare glued to my backside, which was facing the door, I assumed.

"I know that your awake," The voice said, cold and brittle. I remained deathly quiet, keeping my breath low and even. Years of deception coming handy as I faced the man. Well not literally. "I need answers. You will answer the--" He began again.

"What do you want?" I asked softly, my usually rough voice left behind with the rest of my disguise.

"So, 'it' speaks," I heard a cold-hearted laugh, which I easily brushed off. "Who are you?" The man asked, becoming serious once more.

"Ki-" catching myself, i cooly answered. "Well, I'm Naruto."

"What is your last name? And what is Ki-?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Uzamaki. I was going to say Kid, but I didn't think that you were someone to be taken so lightly." I said, answering in short on the most important of questions, and elongating them when it came to useless lies. Seeming surprised the man began again.

"What were you doing in a shabby box at the corner of L and N street?"

"Sleeping."

"I've never seen you there before," This man was really getting down to the point fast.

"It was raining. What is your name?" I asked, not ready to answer anymore questions until I knew something about the strange male standing in my room.

"It is not your place to answer questions." Silence. I wouldn't talk until he answered me, and I think he realized that after about five minutes of unbreakable silence, to the point that if you dropped a needle on the other side of the room you would be able to hear every rattle it made. Sighing in defeat, the said man began, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I am second in command at the police station, and my brother, Itachi Uchiha, Is head of the whole business. So get talking and answer my questions." Satisfied I opened my mouth to spare a little energy.

"Ask away, Sasuke." I could almost imagine the rough outline I had of this 'Sasuke' in my mind flinching as I muttered his name.

"What do you do for a living?" Silence. Getting aggravated, the man strode forward, jerking my light frame to face towards him and stared into my eyes. IT seemed to me that these 'Uchiha's,' who were head of the idiotic law enforcement that had no idea how to capture criminals were a bit intimmidating. Well actually, they were quite skilled, but they hadn't caught me, a teenager, who's been a dealer what was it again, eight years now? "Answer me. Unless you would like to go and visit your stupid mother." The raven sneered.

When I got a good look at him, I noticed the asinine hair cut, which looked like he cut off a chicken's ass and glued it to his head. His eyes however, were menacing, angry onyx that tried to see past my mask. Failing terribly. Although I didn't pay much attention to his clothes, I noticed that he wore a skin-tight, navy blue shirt with a black zip up jacket hanging loosely over it.

"Hn, I don't care wear you take me, as long as you don't lock me up with my mother." I choked out in disgust. Sasuke simply chuckled at my reaction.


	2. A new home

Sasuke's eyes filled with curiosity for a fraction of a second before it was carefully processed and hid behind his stoic mask. The raven haired man looked down at Naruto, wondering what kind of a childhood the young blond had had. Naruto's round, cerulean eyes flickered nervously around the un-welcoming white room. His eyes then roamed over the blood red tube taped to his left forearm before looking back at the silent raven expectantly. Sasuke, on the other hand, was patiently awaiting for the blond to voice a few vital details about his mother, but noticing the blond's eyes, he knew that he would never get anything form the boy Sasuke had previously rescued. Clearing the deadly silence between the two Sasuke's Env2 rang furiously, singing the tune of '_Now or never' by cinema bizzarre_.

"Hn,' Sasuke asked subconciously, nodding here and there to the other's voice. "What should we do about this kid Nii-san?" The raven haired man of adonis asked, continuing with words once again, but nodding once again soon-there-after. "M'k" He muttered as the phone clicked shut. "I will be taking you to our home tonight due to the fact that every jail in the county is closed for the evening. And perhaps for a few observation purposes."

"Isn't it just your house?" Naruto asked blandly.

"No. It is an inheritence from our parents. I share it with my brother," Sasuke answered, turning to a plain black bag at the foot of Naruto's bed. "Here, put these on. They should fit you well enough." The said blond took the bag that the Uchiha held out and slowly cantered over to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Sasuke stood impatiently at the doorway, waiting for Naruto to come out dressed and ready to go.

A few minutes later the pair checked out of the hospital and headed towards the revolving doors a few meters away form the front desk. "Don't try anything stupid," Sasuke huffed, lack of sleep showing itself through his darkly tinted bottom eyelids. The raven haired man got a simple stiff nod in return form Naruto to signal he had heard. As the two walked out towards the parking lot a sudden thought occured to the observent teen.

"Did you drive here?" He asked simply, fidgeting in nervousness as people had begun to notice his flamboyant out fit which consisted of a pitch black top that he had tried to stretch out so it would not show every rippling muscle that had been so beautifully placed on his woman-like figure. Naruto also had a midnight blue hoody casually strung around his waist, hanging off a pair of skin-tight blue jeans that hung loosely at his skinny ankles. Naruto had decided to wear the fuzzy blue slippers that the hospital had so generously provided.

"No," Sasuke yawned, still fighting off sleep with all his might. _'Kit'_ inferred from his captors tone of voice that there would be a heated car out in the lot shortly. Looking around the parking lot and glancing at the entrance ways Naruto finally noticed a sleek, black lexus come around the corner of strip A and came to a stop silently; a girl then stepped gracefully out of the front passenger seat of the vehicle, greeting them with a small wave of her hand. The female had long, straight blond hair. She also wore a plum colored V-neck sweater that rested on her perfectly shaped hips. The blond also wore a close-fitting mini skirt, the same color of her knitted top.

"Konichiwa Uchiha-san, I am glad to see that you made it out alright after another long day," she said tipping her head forward as a sign of deep respect.

"Good evening Ino." Sasuke replied rudely, void of all emotion, completely abandoning any use of everyday courtesy. Ino smoothly strode over to the back door of the lexus, and opened the door with ease, the hinges not uttering a sound. The Uchiha somberly climbed into the blood red leather seats, once seated Sasuke beckoned for Naruto to join him in the high priced motor vehicle. Naruto slid noisily over the polished surface to his seat next to the darkly tinted window pane and fastened his seat belt with a silent _'click' _ The dubbed woman then closed the door with a smile and hopped into the front seat hastily.

"Arigato Ino-san!" Naruto chattered excitedly, "My name is Naruto Uzamaki. But you can just call me Naruto!" The blond continued.

"Hello Naruto-kun, how are you?" Ino asked politley, giggling at the teens exuberancy.

"Be quiet. You two are giving me a head ache already and it hasn't even been five minutes," The Uchiha scowled. Naruto and Ino looked off into different directions, blushing from anger at the ill-tempered Uchiha.

Soon reaching the Uchiha manor, the blond's blue orbs had lit up in surprise. "Holy shit...your house is huge Sasuke!" Sasuke simply nodded at Naruto's praising gesture. "Hey teme, you could at least _'act' _ like a humanitarian!" The blond said, raising his voice. Sasuke simply ignored the nagging blond about his _'manners.' _

The door opened unexpectedly, causing Naruto to jump like a rabbit trying to hop over a fence to be rid of a pursuing mutt. Naruto unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped onto the flat concrete driveway, thanking the girl, Ino on his way towards the mansion. Sasuke followed behind his new house guest completely ignoring the blond girl. As the two men walked up to the manor the black vehicle slowly drove away towards a medium sized barn shed.

Upon reaching their destination Sasuke pushed his hand into his loose-fitting, snow white pants, searching for the key. Once he found it the raven slammed it into the keyhole, turned it to the left and the door swung wide open revealing the marvoules interior. Stepping inside the emaculate home Naruto noticed just how prosperous the Uchiha's were. Just opening up the thick, silver door, engraved with minute details that caught the blindest man's eye, revealed a two way staircase, that was lined with a red satin tread. The main floor was quite spacious, everything was white apart from a few miscelaneous items that had been tastefully placed along the walls. To the left of the porch was the kitchen, which had an island stove, along with a delicately carved red granite table with metallic black chairs surrounding it. Next to the glassy table was a smudge-free sliding glass door that opened up to the walk through garden. To the right of the doorway was the living room. The sofa was a light, not-so-tacky looking blue that was placed in front of the cloudy, patterned glass coffee table in front of a fire place. Matching loveseats were placed at welcoming angles on either side of the original centerpeice.

"Whoa!" Naruto barely managed to say. Sasuke quickly added a familiar _'Hn' _as a reply.

"Glad you like it," an un-named man said, sounding amused. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. I deeply apologize for my brother's rudeness. I hope he hasn't been unforgivably unkind to you."

"Hello Uchiha-san, my name is Naruto Uzamaki and you can call me Naruto! Oh Sasuke? He is pretty rude to everyone, but it's okay!." The blond replied frantically, yet not nervously.

Itachi was extremely tall, aproximately 6' 3. He was also lean and muscular. His long midnight black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that rested on his shoulders, and when the light hit the silky strands just right there would be a tint of navy blue that would enter ones vision. He was also wearing the same thing as Sasuke in close proximity. Only his shirt was a blood red and his slacks were blacker than his hair.

"I am glad to here that Naruto-kun, you may also call me by my first name. Let us give you a tour of the place you will be staying for a few days," Itachi smiled forcefully, hiding the surprise that attempted to overwhelm him as he learned the young teen's last name. Itachi turned acutely towards the living room, explaining the rules of the house as he went. "Feet do not come near the table, and nor do your feet touch anything above or below the main level with your outside shoes," The older raven said, noticing that they all had their shoes on still. "They go in the closet besides the main entrance. Sasuke, go point out which self he can put them on." Sasuke walked over to the walk in closet and pointed to an empty shelf near the top. Naruto, instead of yapping in excitement, kept his mouth shut and took to nodding his head visciously. They continued the journey until they reached the thrid and final story of their house, were all residents slept. Itachi had decided that Naruto would sleep in the room between his and Sasuke's bedroom so that they could keep and eye on him.

It was soon time for dinner and the three men wandered nonchalantly down the stairs to the kitchen. Itachi and Sasuke had begun preparing the night's meal and sent Naruto off to shower. Itachi had also called their family doctor and her intern up to the mansion to check up on the blond, He also called in Shizune, a woman who resided there in the manor permenantly in case of a medical emergency.

"Shizune, would you go get a pair of sweats from Sasuke's room along with a T-shirt?" The long haired man asked suggestively. Without a word the slim woman turned around only to return shortly there after.

Meanwhile back at the ranch (_**A/N meanwhile back at the ranch is merrily a prepositional phrase *i think that's thats what its called* and does not have to be associated with a ranch at all.) **_Naruto had just stepped out of the shower when he realized that he had no idea what he had to wear when a soft knock protruded his thoughts. "Hai?" He said.

"There are towels under the sink and unless you want to run around '_streaking' _then i suggest you take these clothes before I get bored and leave," a familiar voice sounded. Naruto, feeling no need to reply simply opened the black doors under the sink, pulled out a white towel that held an Uchiha symbol on it, wrapped it around his waist and retrieved a set of crisp, fresh, clean clothes from awaiting pale hands. He nodded his thank to Sasuke and returned to preparing himself so he could be declared presentable in a house of wealthy Uchiha's.


	3. Who said anything about hospitality?

"Naruto," Itachi suggested during dinner, "Sasuke and I will be working some  
long hours this week, is that all right with you?" The raven looked directly  
at Naruto who was spooning food into his mouth at an unbelievable rate. The  
blond cut at the steak that lay on his plate in front of him before stabbing  
it with his fork and shoving it into his mouth. After devouring about half the  
plate, Naruto looked up at Itachi before dabbing at the mess sticking to his  
face with a cloth napkin.

"Uh, sure, I don't have a problem with that," Naruto said, meeting the elder  
Uchiha's gaze before shifting his eyes to the other, less generous one who was  
quietly looking out to the lush garden on the other side of the sliding door.  
"Uh, thanks for the meal," Naruto muttered, dropping his gaze at the  
unfamiliar words. "Do I have to stay on the property?" The blond asked,  
meeting the others gaze, feeling stupid, before he took to his meal again.  
Watching Naruto's ravenous eating, the Uchiha's met each other's gaze, Sasuke's  
trying to convince his elder to reject the blasphemous idea. Itachi took a sip  
of tea from his porcelain glass, eyes locked with his brother before  
speaking.

"You're not on a leash Naruto; you may go where ever you please. Just take this,"  
Itachi commented, taking out a shiny silver object out of his pants pocket,  
showing it to Naruto before slipping it back to its resting place. Naruto's  
eyes widened, surprised, before settling back to their original, natural size.

Scoffing, Sasuke rose from his chair and walked to the fridge, opening it and  
grabbing the pitcher of tea. He poured the cold beverage into his identical  
cup before returning to his spot at the table. "My work cell number is on  
there along with Sasuke's, so if I don't answer just call him and he'll inform  
me of all you had to say," Itachi said monotonously, riddling Sasuke's  
defiance of the situation into his statement flawlessly. Naruto nodded  
thankfully, before returning to his meal.

He ate slower this time, his stomach filled for once as he tried to force the  
last bite upon his stuffed stomach. Managing the final morsel, Naruto then  
took a hold on his solid colored glass before slurping up the ice cold tea. He  
then set the glass near his empty plate, fingering the smooth surface as he  
waited for the other two to finish. Naruto nonchalantly gazed about the  
room, picking out details as his eyes tried to strip the kitchen of its  
perfection, although he failed.

--

The next morning before they all headed their separate ways, Itachi grabbed  
Naruto, handing him a glinting silver object. Naruto's hands grasped the  
object knowingly before shoving it down into his pocket and walking out the  
door.

He wore a dark, navy blue, button up shirt and a dark wash blue jean under  
them. To protect him against the bitter-cold morning, Naruto also wore an ashy  
gray windbreaker--all property of Sasuke. Itachi had given a few sets of  
Sasuke's old clothes, seeing as they would fit better Naruto better than  
Itachi's. Naruto's spiky blond hair bounced as he walked out of the mansion  
and into the glaring morning sun.

Naruto walked into town, ignoring all the heading glances his way as he  
walked down the boardwalk. Clutching the spare cash in his pocket, Naruto  
walked down toward his area of town to see if any of his old friends had the  
remains of his 'home.' The Uchiha's never did find the evidence, so Naruto  
assumed it to be with some of his old pals. Glancing sideways at the posted  
addresses on the weathered homes, Naruto spotted the one he was looking for.  
Jogging up to it, Naruto knocked on the frail wooden door, feeling the cold  
seep into his palms.

A pale red head had answered the door, not hiding his anger at being waked up  
at this time of the morning. The fear that had lurked in his eyes was gone in  
a flash and replaced by relief as he spotted his vertically challenged friend  
leaning against the side panel of his house. The elder boy nodded his head,  
motioning the Blond inside his house. Naruto followed quietly. When the red  
headed teen sat on the couch, Naruto stopped dead in his tracks in the middle  
of the floor.

"You can sit down Naruto, I haven't seen you in a while," The pale, sea green  
eyes man wheezed, patting to a spot next to him that appeared to be clean.  
Naruto nodded his head, choosing his words carefully, as he always did around  
the man. Looking up at his friend, the red head's grin faltered, turning into  
a hard line engraved on his face.

"We'll talk later Gaara, I need to get my stuff and set out. I'll need to  
borrow some clothes and shades," Naruto stated commandingly, knowing how his  
best friends mind worked. The man named Gaara rose from his uncomfortable  
position and stalked out of the room and down the hall, Naruto followed suit.  
As they entered a familiar room void of all windows, they stopped. Gaara  
reached for a key inside of his pocket and slid it through the closet door's  
keyhole; he then twisted it down before opening the only stable door in the  
dwelling.

Naruto instantly spotted a small box labeled 'KIT' and grabbed it hurriedly,  
eyes roving over the props. Naruto nodded at its good condition, noting that  
Gaara had evidently washed the wig, as it was now lustrous. Pulling some  
safety pins from the shoebox, Naruto pinned down his hair before sliding on  
the wig and coming through the hair to make it look unkempt. Naruto's eyes  
then landed on the contact lens case before he picked it up, unscrewed the  
caps, and put them into his eyes, blinking rapidly at the stinging his eyes  
had received with the contact of the old solution.

Naruto walked over to the body mirror in the middle of the south wall, he  
leaned forward, adjusting the wig over his whisker marks, making tests and  
noting the durability of the style before walking out of the room and into  
Gaara's own room right across the room. Gaara followed quickly after the  
blond. Naruto made his way to the dresser, opening the middle droor and taking  
a pair of ripped slacks and a matching, ragged shirt that would hang off of  
his body in a disgusting manor. Turning around, Naruto looked at Gaara  
expectantly.

Gaara walked over to his own closet and pulled out a bigger box and handed it  
to the blond knowingly. Naruto nodded before turning around and walking out of  
the house, leaving the red head to himself for the day.

--

Sasuke was waiting impatiently for his brother in their black limo, tapping  
his fingers dangerously on his pale skin. His eyes trailed the blond as he  
walked out of the house at a brisk walk, heading downtown. Growling, Sasuke  
unfastened his seat belt only to hear his elder thanking Ino as she opened the  
passenger door for him and sliding in to the right side of the seat, clicking  
his seat belt in place. Itachi held up a hand to signal the driver to take  
them to their work place.

Arriving earlier than normal, the brothers got out of the car quickly,  
trotting to the main door of the police station. They then went their separate  
ways, Itachi to his office, Sasuke to his. They both walked toward their  
office receiving many hellos, to which Itachi replied and Sasuke simply  
ignored them.

Itachi sat down in his office chair and took out a tan file, skimming the  
document that he had read over so many times before tossing it on top  
of his desk and took out a blue pen to begin the day's work.

Itachi set to work on the request of a local search. They had gained enough  
evidence to suspect that it was one of the residents near the Alley of the  
Rosuto. The judge expected the paper work to be done by three in the  
afternoon, and Itachi had 14 warrants to fill out by 10 O'clock just for this  
case. He also had many in-process warrants that his co-workers had recently  
filled out, but he needed to approve those before they could be set before the  
judge. Sighing, Itachi's pen went to work, scribbling away.

Sasuke too, had to fill out paperwork; his was merrily a few cases that  
needed approval, money, and officers to work on them. He was sure that he  
could be done for the day in a matter of hours.

--

Naruto headed down the road toward his alley. Stepping over impatient, high,  
drunk, sleeping bodies, Naruto made his way to the corner behind the dumpster  
that he had deemed his some eight years ago. Kicking one of the many homeless  
druggies out of his spot, Naruto snuggled up to the frigid metal of the  
dumpster, finding some sort of peace being next to it. He looked up at the  
glowing pink sky lazily, waiting for the Loafers to awake and crowd around  
him, begging to be the first served, ready to give up anything to the now  
strawberry blond male.

Laughing to himself, Naruto realized just how indulging his life could be, he  
could steal away anything and everything of the surrounding addicts' life.  
Sex, money, merchandise, he could have it all--if only he wanted it. Cringing  
at the sound of crunching gravel, Naruto remembered his stoic and merciless  
composure in front of these people. Lowering his head to shade his face,  
Naruto faced the oncoming prey.

The creature was a scraggly old man, stumbling in mass confusion looking for  
someone; he kept turning over frail, sleeping bodies, searching either in his  
best interests or for a lost member of his so called family. Turning around to  
work his way over to Naruto, The man's eyes widened as his eyes locked onto  
the blond. Before Naruto could react, the man was already leaning down toward  
him, his dirty, stench-filled clothes hanging close to Naruto.

"Please! Anything! Anything I will sacrifice!" The confused man breathed, his  
breath that of an ogre's, as the aged man talked you could see that he had no  
teeth, just rotted gums and a writhing, plaque covered tongue that Naruto  
couldn't take his eyes off of. Naruto turned away in disgust, coughing as he  
inhaled the putrid stench.

"Whaddaya want ya old geezer!" Naruto gasped, clinging to as much air as  
humanly possible without inhaling the ugly smell. Eagerly, the man continued,  
still hovering over Naruto, even as the blond protested by covering his nose  
with his lithe, arm, now covered in one of Gaara's old sweaters.

"Ooh Kit! You wouldn't believe how long I've waited for ya! I want something  
good, something rich and sweet smelling ya see? Something that just makes your  
spine tingle! Anything oh great Kit! "Anything!" The old man continued to  
babble on as Naruto reached into his box with a small bag of cocaine, sure  
that the man was looking for whatever Naruto had on him.

"One hundred-fifty," Kit muttered, his voice muted by his arm. The old man,  
realizing that he had been interrupted, discontinued his ramblings and looked  
at the blond quizzically, looking for an alternate. Naruto let his eyes rape  
the guy's weak, emaciated body as he looked for something of value. Naruto  
then noticed a small golden chain that hung around the man's neck; Naruto  
motioned for the geezer to take it off. He did. The man held up a stunning an  
antique open face case pocket watch with an expensive back, with gentle  
engravements, the watch looked like it took months to do! In fact, Naruto  
guessed that it was handmade several decades ago. The front numbers and  
engravements were sparkling with silver and gold dust. Naruto looked at it  
lustfully before gesturing to the man to hand it over. He did so. Naruto then  
handed him the bag of coke before he slid the medallion in his box.

--

Sasuke was standing at the entrance of his brother's inviting office, growing  
impatient at his ignorant brother proceeding to finish reading a document  
before his eyes drifted to Sasuke. Arching his eyebrow, the elder raven  
signaled for the younger to begin.

"All cases seem to be within our budget and they all relate to the main  
confidential case that you are so intent about solving right off hand," Sasuke  
proclaimed, glaring angrily at his sibling. Itachi nodded, not seeing what the  
fuss was about but not wanting to go out and say it. "We don't have enough  
employees to put on it..." Sasuke ground out, clearly expecting his brother to  
infer his words. Itachi nodded three times, noting to Sasuke to place them in  
his in-box. Sasuke turned and left the room, an aura of anger surrounding  
him.

When he reached his office, the raven picked up the phone and pressed speed  
dial #7 and waited for an answer. Upon receiving one, he barked at the female  
assistant to bring him another cup of coffee. When she did, Sasuke took it  
from her calmly, took a sip, and nodded his approval and thanks. Sasuke leaned  
back in his cushioned chair, sighing out as he took another sip of the dark,  
steamy substance.

--

The old man hobbled away quickly, falling over lingering bodies that had  
waken before getting up and running off towards the intersection where he was  
cut off from Naruto's sight. Meditating in peace, Naruto waited for the crowd  
as the crowd woke up at the same time. There really weren't that many people  
there; it was more of the fact that in Kit's area, you could usually only find  
one or two sleeping souls, the others would just want the drugs. Total, there  
were only about eight people in the alley, including him.

One by one, the sleepy people limped over to the blond, stripping off their  
valuables and offering it up to the dealer to pay for whatever they could.  
Naruto collected multiple old, rare coins and jewelry, and, in the rare cases,  
a wad of cash. Naruto stuffed the cash down into his pocket along with a five  
that Itachi had given him for a meal. As Naruto clutched that single bill, he  
felt a pang in his lower abdomen, he never did notice his hunger, or whether  
or not he had to use the rest room, he was just always used to doing it  
afterwards, and when he got hungry, he would just get up and leave, without a  
moments notice.

Attending to his shivering customers, Naruto finished up before he got up to  
leave to Gaara's. When he arrived at the red heads house, Naruto greeted him  
and walked down the hall to his bathroom to shower and change to his original  
clothes. When he walked back out into the living room, Naruto was clutching a  
variety of items, he handed them over to Gaara who eyed them closely, looking  
over every aspect of the valuables, noting that most of them were in good  
condition.

"How much?" Naruto asked, falling down to the couch, closing his eyes. Gaara  
ignored him as his eyes roved over the priceless objects lustfully, consulting  
their worth. Gaara then walked over to Naruto and sat in the crook of his  
legs, as far away from his main body as possible. Naruto simply lay there,  
tired, cold, and relaxed. "How much?" Naruto repeated. Gaara continued  
scanning the objects.

"I would say around 800....." Gaara trailed off, not completely sure, as most  
of them were foreign made originally. Naruto nodded his head approvingly,  
proud of the days worth. Groaning as he rose up from the couch, lifting his  
feet from where Gaara was currently sitting. Naruto looked over at his friend's  
wall to see that it was already six O'clock.

"I gotta head out Gaara," Naruto called over his shoulder as he headed out  
into the night. Gaara nodded, his eyes glazed over as he continued staring  
down at the ticking watch. Naruto slammed the door behind him as he headed up  
to the IchiRaku Ramen bar, it looked cheap, and he guessed that he could pull  
that one off. The blond walked in, slouching his way over to the counter. The  
old man on the other side smiled and handed him a menu, guaranteeing that if  
he liked noodles than the blond was going to love these.

Looking over the laminated menu, Naruto ordered the first thing on the top of  
the list.

"Give me the Hot and Spicy," Naruto sighed out to what looked like the man's  
daughter, she nodded and scribbled that on her notebook and hung it in front  
of the kitchen on a piece of wire. The girl smiled Naruto's way before turning  
to back into the kitchen.

--

Groaning, Itachi opened the folder his brother had placed in his in-box.  
Itachi sat back, he had been doing paperwork all day, he didn't even take the  
papers to the judge, and he had to have an assistant do it. The police were still  
busy patrolling and trying to bust drug dealers, drug consumers, prostitutes,  
pimps, all the despicable stuff that lurked around in secret in the rough part  
of town. He also had officers running errands for him daily, he even had  
rotational officers that served as his secretary.

Itachi then closed the folder and set it in his 'To Do' basket. It could wait  
until tomorrow he decided mentally. Rising to his feet, the elder stretched,  
popping his neck and back before walking out of his office and to the parking  
lot were Sasuke was probably waiting, considering the time to be 6:15. He was  
stoically surprised when Sasuke hadn't came and tugged him out of his secluded  
office.

Itachi whipped out his cell and dialed Naruto's temporary number. Waiting for  
the blond to answer, Itachi hummed quietly to himself.

"Hm?" Naruto asked, slurping down ramen when Itachi's cell rang obnoxiously.

"Do you need a ride?" Itachi questioned, guessing that Naruto was probably  
still out and about.

"Uh," Naruto paused, slurping down the last of the noodles. "I guess; I'm at  
this one place called....." Naruto trailed before turning to the manager and  
whispering, "What is this place called again?" "IchiRaku's," Naruto finished,  
repeating the old man.

Itachi nodded to himself as he entered the parking lot were his brother was  
patiently waiting inside the car, grasping his fourth cup of coffee in his  
spiny fingertips. "M'kay, we'll be right there," Itachi muttered as he climbed  
into the car and snapping his phone shut. "Shikamaru, can you please take us  
to IchiRaku's," Itachi demanded rather than asked. Shikamaru nodded before  
driving off at a leisure pace.

--

Slurping down all of the broth, Naruto smiled s pseudo smile before paying  
the man. He then walked just outside of the restaurant to lean on a telephone  
pole just as a glossy black limo came into view. Pausing at the curb, the car  
glided to a silent halt. Naruto walked over to the passenger door and climbed  
in, sitting beside Itachi while Sasuke looked in the opposite direction,  
acting like he didn't notice the blond figure hop into the car.

The drive to the Uchiha Manor was quiet and uneventful. Everybody remained  
silent even as Ino tried to start a conversation with the blond. He ignored  
her completely. When the car pulled up in front of the Mansion Naruto was the  
first to hop out and make it into the house. The other two followed suit while  
Ino and Shikamaru took the car to the garage and left to their own houses.

Inside the house, Itachi dragged Sasuke over to the living room where Naruto  
was browsing through an old teen magazine that they had and was listening to  
Itachi's IPod, mouthing the words as the music played quietly. Barely  
audible.

Sasuke went to sit on the Love seat while motioning for Itachi to sit next to  
him on the recliner. Sasuke curled up on his chair, hugging his knees, looking  
unprofessional. Itachi sat down and laid back in the recliner, lacing his  
fingers together and placing them behind his head were they met long, silky  
raven locks.

"So what action do you want to take Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

The rest of the week goes about just the same as always. Naruto leaves at the  
same time the Uchiha's do, he receives a ride from them as well. Overall the  
Uchiha's didn't associate with the blond, he also did the same.

It was Thursday before either Uchiha had a day off. Itachi however, was the  
only one off of work that day; Sasuke would have to take Itachi's place.

"Naruto-kun," Itachi commanded through the door while knocking loudly. The  
blond was up and off of the bed in a matter of seconds, jumpy as always when  
being woken, that habit driven into him by the hard, deceiving days of his  
past life. Realizing that it was only the elder rave, Naruto walked to the  
door and opened it to reveal a finely dressed Uchiha. He then looked down to  
himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

The elder was wearing a sophisticated-looking blue, silk shirt. Under it,  
Itachi wore a casual pair of tan slacks. To Naruto, it looked as if he was  
dressed as the groom and was patiently waiting for his ride to meet his  
fiancé.

"Get dressed and meet me downstairs in 30 minutes," Itachi demanded, looking  
into Naruto's cerulean eyes. The figure standing in the doorway then pivoted  
towards the stairway and began walking towards his destination.

Naruto shut his door softly, he then moved to shower and dress.

Once dressed, Naruto wandered down stairs, not really paying that much  
attention to where he was going. He then met Itachi, who was standing near the  
door, and walked over to him. Itachi motioned for Naruto to follow him out the  
door, Naruto did so.

"Itachi-san," Naruto asked politely, "Were are we going, if I may ask?"

"Shopping." Was the Uchiha's curt reply. Naruto remained quiet the rest of  
the way, not wanting to continue the conversation.

Once there, Naruto stayed behind Itachi, following him silently as the busy  
shoppers found time to give him strange looks, as if wondering why the  
infamous Uchiha had a vertically challenged blond tailing him, and why he let  
the blond. The first store Itachi walked into was 'The Buckle.'

Naruto took a hold of a pair of shoes to his left that had caught his eye and  
exclaimed, "Holy **!" as he looked at the price.

"Hm?" Itachi inquired as they proceeded into the store.

"Those shoes were 72 dollars! How the hell can you afford that?!" Naruto  
whispered loudly, running to catch up the raven.

"Naruto, our family has a flawless financial plan, we could buy China if we  
wanted too," Itachi concluded as Naruto gaped at the words spoken.

"Not if you keep spending it like this you can't," The blond murmured under  
his breath coolly.

"What was that?"

"Uh, I said you should donate to charity," Naruto bluffed.

"Consider this charity," Itachi smirked. Naruto turned to argue, but decided  
against that idea when he saw that the Uchiha wouldn't take any of it. "Pick  
out what you want, and then we'll go to a few other stores of my choice. The rest  
will be up to you."

"Seriously?" Naruto asked, surprised. Itachi nodded approvingly.

Naruto calmly picked out a good number of shoes, pants and tops before  
heading to the dressing rooms. Naruto then came out to show Itachi what  
everything looked like--as ordered--before deciding upon the item. It turned  
out that Itachi agreed with most of Naruto's choosing.

Heading out of the store, Itachi led Naruto to a few more extravagant stores  
like, 'Rue 21,' 'Maurice's,' 'Vanity,' 'Old Navy,' and 'Red.' None were  
work-associated, but all were highly marked with prices and ratings. Once they  
were done with those stores, Naruto was carrying seven bags and had spent a  
fair amount of money, though Itachi didn't mind, as he hadn't dug into his  
account yet.

"Were would you like to go now Naruto?" Itachi sighed, as he truly didn't  
care for shopping.

"Uh," Naruto looked around the mall, noticing all of the stores; spotting one  
he nodded his head towards 'Hot Topic.' Itachi followed.

"Ergh, what is that smell?" The elder raven muttered to himself, scrunching  
up his nose as he walked into the store.

"I think it's dragon blood, or something like that," Naruto said, sniffing  
the surrounding air.

"Whatever it is, we're not lighting it in my house, and neither are you  
wearing it."

Naruto shrugged, not caring a whole lot about the smell.

"Naruto-kun," Itachi paused, waiting for the blondes head to turn towards him  
before continuing, "I'll be waiting out there," The elder pointed to a close  
by bench, "I'll give you some money and you can buy whatever you want in here,  
alright?" Naruto nodded, quickly, not wasting time on unimportant words.

Itachi reached into his back pocket and pulled out a worn, leather wallet,  
and took out a wad of green bills. Sliding the wallet back into his pocket,  
Itachi handed Naruto the cash and left him to shop in the store.

"Oh and Naruto," Itachi called back over his shoulder, "If you want to go to  
any other stores, I would suggest you don't spend all of that here." Without  
waiting for a reply, Itachi walked over to the weathered bench and sat down  
near the edge, keeping Naruto in his peripheral vision.

--xXwinterXsolsticeXx--

Naruto purchased five pairs of skinny jeans, along with three pairs of shoes  
and six tops. He had ultimately bought everything he could carry, so while  
walking out of the store, Naruto carried his seven plus bags and nodded  
towards the Uchiha. He set down the bags and reached into his back pocket to  
retrieve the extra cash before Itachi stopped him.

"No, I have enough, keep it." Happy yet confused, Naruto shoved the money  
back into his back pocket before Itachi tossed him an emptied wallet.

"Isn't this yours?" Naruto asked, puzzled even further.

"I got another, that one was getting a bit worn for my taste anyway," Itachi  
shrugged, pulling out another, newer wallet.

The next place the two went was Mongolian grill, were they each filled a  
medium bowl of noodles; veggies and meat before watching the cooks cook it on  
a flat, round piece of slate. After eating, Itachi went to the food bar and  
filled another bowl of food products before asking the men to cook it. They  
then paid and left. Itachi dropped Naruto off at the house, helping him with  
the bags before leaving Naruto alone and driving off again after telling the  
blond were he was going and how late he'd be.

--xXwinterXsolsticeXx--

Itachi stood up out of his car, a black Pontiac firebird, and walked towards  
the towering building. He entered the building and walked down towards his  
brother's office. Knocking on the door, Itachi entered. He set Sasuke's late  
lunch down on the table before taking a seat across from his younger sibling.

"Thanks," Sasuke said monotone without looking up from his stack of papers.

"No problem Sasuke," Itachi smiled, "Would you care for any help? I told  
Naruto I wouldn't be back until you got off from work," the elder added  
before Sasuke could argue.

"No," Sasuke sighed, "What were you even doing?" The younger Uchiha asked,  
aware that his brother was a few hours late and that this was 'take out.'

"I took Naruto to get some clothes so that he didn't have to borrow yours,"  
Sasuke gritted his teeth at his brother's now stoic face.

"I see." Sasuke ended the conversation before thrusting a yellow folder at  
his older sibling. Itachi stared down at the folder labeled 'Kit.'

"The came in today." Sasuke breathed, leaning back and popping his back.  
"The warrants are included along with some reports."

Itachi opened the vibrant folder and took out a single sheet of paper.  
reading through it thoroughly, Itachi closed his eyes in a thinking manor.

"So we now know 'exactly' were he lurks, or lurked, and that, for some  
reason, he isn't around as much anymore."

"Pretty much," The younger trailed, extending his words. "They say that he arrives there about every other day."

"Ah, so now all we need to know is what he is doing then we can form a new  
strategy?" Sasuke grunted out a solid yes before continuing on his work.

"So I see..." Itachi got up and left, going to his cubby were all his papers  
were sitting. He grabbed them and held them in his hands neatly before walking  
back to Sasuke's office.

Before long the two were on their way back home, it was around 5 P.M., or  
about two hours after Itachi had arrived at the station.

--xXwinterXsolsticeXx--

(Naruto's Pov)

I just finished packing away my clothes and am sitting on the bed. I had been  
thinking about how good of a day it was! For one, I wouldn't have to use  
Sasuke's playboy looking clothes anymore and, to top it off, I even got to get  
my own stuff! Which, I must admit looks pretty damn hot on me, I mean I knew I  
was hot, but I never thought that I could look that extremely hot! Man, that  
Uchiha Itachi sure has made my day.....

But I don't entirely understand this egging feeling I get in my stomach  
whenever I gloat to myself about the days earnings. I get it after I sell too,  
I just don't understand. I feel almost giddy, but, I just can't pass it off as  
that. It's complicated, seeming as I was never one to understand emotions of  
others nor myself. I've always just kept them hidden from others and faked the  
ones that I understood. I never dealt with this kind of stuff. I mean, it's  
not exactly like I usually have this much time on my hands.

I sit up on my bed and walk over to the window sill, where I sit and lay back  
against, pulling my feet against my chest and staring at the darkening sky  
above. It really is beautiful, I never really took notice of its full beauty  
before tonight; It just felt to vast, like my heart did then. I was content,  
as I am now, but it was just an empty feeling that I couldn't decipher! Much  
less understand!

Is it guilt?

I heard a car pull up and looked down to see Itachi and Sasuke walking  
towards the house. They seemed to be in deep thought, which wouldn't last  
very long as long as I was around, or at least I didn't think so.

Rising from my statuesque position, I walked out of my room and down the  
stairs to meet the brothers. I smiled and waved, pushing my undeciphered  
emotional problems to the side. Itachi smiled his hello while Sasuke grunted  
one before pushing past me to go to the closet and hang up his trench.

"How was work?" I ask nonchalantly.

"What do you care?" Sasuke asked, "It's not like you've ever been to work  
before."

"It was fine Naruto, thanks for asking," Itachi grunted, sending a death  
glare towards and inattentive Sasuke.

Thanks.....that word. I needed it for some...reason......

"Oh!" I exclaimed, face lighting up, "I forgot to thank you Itachi!" I smiled  
that ugly smile of mine that represented all those deceits. I then bowed to  
the elder and exclaimed a very loud 'arigato.'

"Your welcome Naruto," Itachi said, dropping the conversation and walking  
into the kitchen and pulling out a few packages of instant sweet and sour  
chicken dinners along with sticky rice and a few pre-made sushi rolls. He had  
them all cooked and ready to go within five minutes and we were all digging in  
a few minutes later.

In 30 minutes we were all seated around the center coffee table in the living  
room, all looking around, not talking.

"Get out of here," Sasuke ordered, glaring at me. Internally wincing, I  
looked down and stood, not knowing exactly what he meant.

"Stay Naruto," Itachi argued.

"Go," The younger growled menacingly.

"Stay," elder raven persisted.

"Uh, I, um," I stuttered, "I'll be upstairs if you need me," I finished,  
deciding that even though Itachi was the boss, Sasuke was a bit more  
terrifying, knowing that he just might rip my head off at any given moment.  
Once upstairs I climbed back onto the window sill and resumed my earlier  
position.

xXwinterXsolsticeXx

(third person)

"Why the hell do you have to act that way Sasuke? It's exactly that reason  
that I can't trust you to lead the cases that you want!" Itachi complained.

"Because, people like him deserve it," Sasuke scoffed angrily.

"Why don't you get to know him and then judge him?"

"I don't feel the need, and nothing you say will change that." Sasuke ground  
out, "And besides, I wanted to talk to you."

xXwinterXsolsticeXx

(Naruto's Pov)

The stars looked so beautiful until they were obscured by the dominating  
clouds, unable to shine through the nimbostratus clouds that threatened rain.

There was another thing that I needed to thank Sasuke for, and it was this. I  
never knew how much turmoil lay undercover in my head until I actually let it  
unravel. It was surprising actually, that all I needed to do was sit and think  
and then all my troubles that I had brushed off just a few minutes ago to  
things that happened years ago would just come tumbling out.

Most of these thoughts were gruesome, disgusting things, like knowing what my  
mother had done before I found out she had landed herself in prison, knowing  
only the bad sides of people. It's exactly what shaped my life to what it is  
today. The people that surrounded me unknowingly convinced me to lead a  
different life.

I managed that, but anyone who knew about me wouldn't believe it. I'd be  
looked down upon just because of my status. Believe it or not, the  
government knows nothing about me, well, that is until a few days ago. So my  
dream of becoming something great was crushed by the time I was 10. Things  
came abruptly fast and strong on the streets and I just took to this. I had  
first started when I found snuff that my mom had kept hidden in her purse and  
sold it to some guy that saw me with it.

It was simple really.

But that's why I hated, looked down on, spit at people like that, kind of  
like Sasuke does, but in a completely different, less hypocritical way.

Queue the gutsy feeling. Again.

I closed my eyes quickly, trying to wash away the unpleasant feeling in the  
pit of my stomach.

I still had no idea what that was, but I would figure it  
out.....eventually. It was kind of like what the feeling that I always got  
when I was gawked at for my lack of clean clothes and what-not. But then  
again, this was way different.

I opened my eyes to reveal the moon that had just peeked out from behind the  
thinning clouds as they rose higher.

(Third Person)

"Sasuke, though an idiot you may be, you sometimes surprise me," Itachi  
swore.

* * *

Longest chapter I've ever written........

*CREDITS*

Beta'd by: Halskr

Japanese words: Go there and look them up, I already read this and don't want to read it again.......

.

Review please^^


	4. Epedition

* * *

I don't know exactly what happened to my beta... But anyway, it was been well over six months since I've posted any part of this story and well over a month since i've gotten a reply... So, I have granted you all with the personal responsibility of being my Beta. Thanks. I reread it so I fixed a few common errors. Other than that, just let me know. Okay then, enjoy :)

* * *

A few days go by without anything unusual occurring. Itachi and Sasuke attended work normal while Naruto went out and did his own bidding.

Although tensions increased during the long days with the cops constantly hanging around the drug dealing area, everything remained the same at the Uchiha household.

**--**

"Crud!" Kit cursed silently to himself as he automatically grabbed his customer's wrist and pulled her closer. To say the least, the customer—a young girl of about 14—was taken aback, though quite flattered rather than offended as any normal person would have been.

Sighing, the blond release the girl before trading his bagged, mulch substance for the teen's cash. She smiled grimly at him before taking off down the street, her short skirt flailing wildly behind her.

The dealer fanned the money out before him, taking a small whiff before pocketing it in a pair of old trousers he had snagged from Gaara.

Hearing a nearby car come to screeching halt, Kit froze instantly, preparing himself for a convoy of police vehicles to be circling the alley. But, alas, it had only been a careless adult, slamming on their brakes as they noticed the stop sign.

For the umpteenth time that day it seemed, kit sighed—relieved. The cops had been continuously making their round through the shady part of town as part of the newly-passed '_Town Acts.'_ They were designed by the humanitarians of the village and were brought up in such a way that the city council had practically no choice but to accept the bill. Needless to say, Kit had to keep his senses alert in case he or a customer was spotted.

**--**

Whipping out his cell, Sasuke quickly dialed his elder brother's number while rhythmically drumming his fingertips along the covered steering wheel.

"Itachi?" Sasuke asked demandingly as soon as he heard the incessant ringing come to an abrupt halt.

"What is it Sasuke?" Itachi responded, groaning inwardly.

"I'm going to stay out late tonight to do some research on the case, so don't bother waiting for me alright?"

"Of course, but would you mind picking up Naruto-kun and dropping him of at the house tonight? I have a meeting with Tsunade-sama this evening and—"

"Whatever floats your boat," the raven murmured, his good mood tarnished as he gripped the wheel with an extra spurt of unneeded force before snapping his phone shut.

Gripping his phone rather tightly, Sasuke flipped it open once again, hitting Naruto's speed dial and waiting impatiently for the teen to pick up.

While listening to the phone beep, Sasuke made an illegal U-turn so that he was heading up to the designated meeting place.

**--**

"Gimme a sec Gaara," Naruto said as he flicked his wrist nervously, holding up his index finger as he saw the caller ID; he turned around, heading into the narrow hallway for some limited privacy.

"Is it that Uchiha prick?" The red-head sneered, taking a drag on his lifeless cigarette butt. He tongued the common filter before spitting it out with distaste written all over his face as he half gagged. Naruto ignored him, keeping his destination in sight before disappearing around the sharp bend.

Naruto had barely answered the phone when the Uchiha began the aggravating conversation.

"I'm waiting," Sasuke growled out fiercely, coughing to the side as he waited for a reply.

Glancing at the clock just above him, Naruto rolled his eyes as he stared at the infuriating clock on the wood-paneled wall.

"Sorr—"

"I. Don't. Care. Just hurry up will you?!" with the raven's last remark, Naruto and Sasuke hung up in unison. Naruto walked out into the dirtied living room where Gaara sat, waiting impatiently on the beat up sofa.

Nodding, the blond grabbed his stuff while taking the money he had received from a few days previous from Gaara. He subconsciously dealt the red-head a fifth of the money before departing to where the ignorant and grumpy Uchiha was waiting rather impatiently.

"When will I see you again?"

"Jeez, Gaara, you sound pretty angsty."

"Seriously, when? My rent is due _this_ Friday."

"Well then," Naruto sighed, using his thumb and forefinger to apply pressure to the brigdge of his tanned nose. "You'll just have to make a late payment, "Gaara's eyes widened as he registered what his partner was saying. "Five days. You won't get evicted in five days. You'll live."

"See you," The pale man called as the blond walked cautiously out of the shack-like townhouse.

"See you," Naruto waved back at Gaara while watching a police car speeding dangerously down the street. After it passed, the blond turned around and headed out the back exit before murmuring a few words of wisdom. "Oh, and I would start using your back door again." Naruto didn't see the weary head-nod he got for an answer—he was already out of the house and walking up towards Ichi Raku's.

As he stepped into the dim streetlight, Sasuke surveyed the area, glancing around the lot until he spotted a yellow mop of sun-colored hair making its way from the opposite side of the street. He had taken the long way around so that he would not arouse any unneeded suspicion.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Sasuke yelled over to the approaching teen who was barely listening as he climbed into the front of the Deputy Sheriff station wagon that the raven was using. He buckled his seatbelt as Sasuke climbed in quietly, following suit. "I waited for over an hour, where were you?" Sasuke asked in a calmer, softer voice as he stepped on the gas pedal.

"I was going to visit a friend when you called. It was on the other side of town," Naruto half-lied as he stared straight at the streetlight dangling in the center of the busy intersection. "My apologies."

"Itachi would have killed me if you would have left or something you know," The raven chastised, letting his anger pulse out of him through his deep and heaving breathing.

"I should have come immediately, sorry." Naruto apologized as he turned his head to the left, indicating that he was lying. They both knew that when Naruto said the _'other side of town'_ he meant the _'slums,'_ and the walk from the outskirts of those took no less than ten minutes. They also both understood that it was not even remotely possible for Naruto to have been on the other side of town, the people there are much too rich. But Sasuke didn't pry, having discussed the obvious issue with his brother earlier in the week.

"You better be…" he whispered to himself, though loud enough to be heard by the blond occupying the passengers' seat of the vehicle.

As the two pulled into the well-paved driveway, two women came out to meet them in what appeared to be their good clothes, though considering the wealth of the Uchiha's, it would be a more probably outfit for housework.

"Have you eaten Sasuke-kun?" They addressed him, keeping the smiles from sliding off their faces with little effort. It was plain to see that they were both _'in love'_ with the man. In fact, they were practically drooling at the sight of him. The raven ignored them as the blond next to him stared in jealousy that could have been easily passed off as amazement.

"I haven't," Naruto interrupted the rather awkward moment, receiving hateful glares from the girls.

"Of course, we'll get somebody on it ASAP," One of the girls said with pseudo-happiness. Naruto hopped out the car and joined the women on the other side of the car, waiting for his instruction for the evening and likely for the morning as well.

"You will eat, shower and then pack tonight. Stay up as late as you want, just be sure that you are ready by 5:30 tomorrow morning. We'll be leaving to catch a plane sometime around then. "Then Sasuke turned to the giggling, conversing girls. "And you will wake him in the morning. I can't be made tardy by annoyances such as yourselves." The raven threw in the ending insult instinctively, it coming out less sharply than usually, due to his unusual giddiness.

From there he turned around and left the property, leaving the young teen in the girls' hands.

**--**

Walking out of the shower, Naruto sat on his neatly-made bed, creating wrinkles in the ironed sheets that covered the humongous bed. He grabbed the clothes that he had previously laid out on his bed and shrugged them on quickly, letting the shirt slip off his spiny shoulder a bit.

He casually walked around the room, gathering supplies for the upcoming trip. He still had no idea where they were going. So the blond packed a bit of a variety, throwing in quite a few slacks and silk, button-up tops for whatever the occasion before adding a few pairs of his thigh-length shorts and matching Tees and tank tops.

Once he was done, Naruto picked up his bag before heading downstairs. He set the bag down a few feet away from the door so that it would be out of the way. He then walked out into the kitchen to grab a book that he had seen Sasuke and Itachi reading recently. Picking it up and flipping it over to the cover side. Quirking an eyebrow at the perverted display of women, Naruto knew of the disguise. It was just too obvious. He then looked it over, his eyes taking in the cover details. Naruto repeated the title a few times aloud.

'_Life in the Streets.'_

Taking a seat in the stool next to the Kitchen counter, Naruto flipped the book open to page one and began reading.

'_CHAPTER 1: THE LIFE OF A DRUG DEALER'_

'_Usually when you think of a Drug Dealer, you think of those well-known gangs or that scrawny kid standing on the corner of a street, and that is just what they are. But they are so much more than that. _

_That is why, in order to catch them, you need to understand them and how they even got there in the first place. To start off with, family is usually the source of the problem. But it could also be peer pressure, money-related, greed,…'_

Skipping past the first chapter, Naruto skimmed the next few before finding one that had some sort of importance to him and his well-being. The chapter was launched off with an interview of how undercover policemen and FBI agents had caught numerous _'big fish,'_ which all led to bringing down the drug dealing system in their cities.

' "_It was all really simple, we designated an officer who best fit the physical description and then we simply hired a local beautician to help us out with the preparations. It was all a matter of working together with our peers and outsmarting the biggest, most evasive drug dealer that we were aware of at that time. " '_

It went on with how the whole thing was just a matter of cooperation and team work before the author returned to stating how to take down those kinds of corporations from the outside-in.

'_The first step is observation. Find a hidden nook or step up security around the affected areas. This should help you figure out their schedule. The most brilliant of the dealers will mix up their times and such, but there is usually some type of pattern. _

_After you have the needed data recorded, it is best to confer with everyone in on the case. Doing this will make it easier to create a final draft of the plan and it will also be easier to pick out flaws when you discuss the blueprint with minute details. _

Naruto continued to read, absorbing every word into his memory as best and fast as he could, constantly glancing at the digital clock up on the mantle of the doorway.

The surrounding rooms quieted down as the maids finished up their weekly chores and shuffled around him, not bothering to give Naruto a second thought as they filed into the laundry room to gather their things and head out for the day.

**- (We're going back in time for a little bit—only a few hours though)-**

The phone rang exactly three times before an aggravated man answered.

"Are you quite done with your little investigation Sasuke?" Itachi asked nonchalantly, not meaning to strike a nerve in his younger brother. He was driving down towards the station to pick up his things and had just wanted to check up on his younger.

"Uh," Sasuke glanced quickly at his watch, before directing his eyes back to the road again. "Not quite, I want to do a quick investigation on foot before I head home."

"Could I be of some assistance?" the long-haired raven questioned, not at all tempted to leave Sasuke out on his own in the beat-up area of town that he was in.

Growling lowly, Sasuke mumbled in irritation as he sped up the road to a near-by parking lot with security camera enforcement. He had to be sure that his car wouldn't get stolen.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Hanging up, Itachi followed his GPS to where his brother's car was parked and drove up right beside it before shifting into park just to the right of it. He got out and surveyed his surroundings, seeing if Sasuke was anywhere in view.

It seemed karma was on Itachi's side, Sasuke was just heading down a grade level six hill when the elder began his trek down the hill as well, easily catching up to his slouching brother. They walked quietly for a few minutes until they came to a flat where the intersections were crooked and the traffic signs were in desperate need of repair.

"I'll have to inform Tsunade-sama of the condition of this place. It looks like it's been run down with rats." Itachi frowned, taking long and observant looks around the neighborhood, receiving a few terrified glances from passerbies.

"I say we should check Kit's place behind the dumpster first," Sasuke suggested. He had become significantly calmer and more relaxed when Itachi granted him head of the case—under supervision of course. The elder suspected that it had helped Sasuke in his aspiration to be more like him. And it seemed like it was working wonders.

The two headed there in silence, keeping their eyes peeled, just in case they came across anything that they needed to be aware of.

Unknowingly passing by a familiar place to Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke walked over, pausing just before the door. Both Uchiha's looked into the dingy room, noticing that there was a person there—a red head—they studied him. He seemed harmless, though that was said before he had spotted them. At the first sight of the spy's, Gaara almost charged at them, but when he realized who they were, he stepped back into his hallway slowly, daring not to meet their eyes with his own.

"Some funny people down here huh?" Itachi stated; wrinkling his nose in utter distaste as the wind aimed a shot of the sewer's aroma at them. They both resisted the urge to gag. "It's hard to believe that Naruto lived down here; a nice kid like him."

"Itachi," Sasuke huffed, his temple throbbing as he rubbed the left pressure point. "You are such an idiot, these people—all of them—are greedy, stupid, blood-sucking peasants. They are worth nothing to us and we are worth nothing to them. "The younger pointed this out like he was the king of the Aztecs, like he got to decide who the sacrifice was.

"You shouldn't have skipped the first three chapters of the book Sasuke," Itachi chastised as they turned the corner into an eerie alley. They could see no more than about five feet in front of them. Stopping, Itachi grabbed a hold of Sasuke's shirt collar, pulling him back. "Wait."

Sasuke slouched in his position, sighing as he waited for his eyes to adjust in the shadowy background.

"You ready?" The younger asked harshly. Without waiting for an answer, Sasuke started forward, followed by his elder brother. They inched closer to the looming dumpster. When they reached the outskirts of the green tin object, they split up—Sasuke going around and Itachi going through the slit in between the wall and the dumpster. They both reached the end at the same time, finding nothing but a few bags of multiple substances. Most of it looked like the raw materials used to make the drugs.

Itachi was the first to draw a bag and tweezers. He was already wearing gloves—though leather—so he went ahead and opened the Ziploc bag and extracted the apparent materials before placing them in his brown paper bag. He did this with each bag before motioning to Sasuke to head out of the alley.

Looking around for anyone of Kit's physical description, Sasuke and Itachi took a quick trip along a few nearby streets. But upon seeing no one, they assumed that everyone that was out at this hour had sought shelter to avoid being interviewed or taken in by them.

The Uchiha brothers parked their work vehicles in the station's shed and then started the walk home, both content enough to walk to their home.

--

Hearing the door creak open, Naruto quickly laid the book down as he skimmed the last few pages over quickly. Then, struggling to get the perverted disguise over the crime novel in the Uchiha's meticulous way of neatness, Naruto laid the book back in its place near a small, virtually unnoticeable shelf.

Hearing approaching footsteps, Naruto walked as quietly and quickly as possible over to the fridge where he casually snooped for something to drink.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked coldly as he went over to where the blond had just placed the book. He sifted through a few papers, taking the ones that he wanted and then grabbing the book in the most discrete way that he could, though Naruto still saw.

"I'm getting a glass of…" Naruto looked over the merchandise in the fridge, clucking his tongue as he took his sweet time looking for an item to drink. "Milk," Naruto paused, looking at Sasuke who was studying him closely then to Itachi who had just walked in, "Would you like some?" He asked, trying to sound polite and genuine.

"No thank you, Naruto-kun," Itachi smiled, grabbing his secondary briefcase off of the counter before heading up to his room.

"And you, Sasuke?" Naruto was ignored as the raven sat down at the table, opening his book to the first page, reviewing the chapters that he had skipped.

Pouring himself a glass of milk, Naruto looked over to see the raven reading the '_Porno book,'_ and smiled, knowing that the two men didn't suspect a thing. He was one step ahead of the game.

--

Looking up from an old newspaper, Naruto leaned back in his seat, stretching his limbs. It was his first time to ever board a plane, and though he would never admit it, he was quite nervous about the flight out of the country. The Uchiha's still wouldn't tell the blond where they were heading or in what direction, but he figured that it was some security precaution.

"Itachi," Naruto paused, waiting for a signal that the raven heard him. "What are we going to do once we get there?" The blond asked, clearly disappointed by the uncertainty of the next five days, worried that he would have to stay cooped up in some pricey hotel while wishing that he had brought a swimsuit to pass time.

"Sasuke and I are going to attend a meeting and you…" Here Itachi paused momentarily, having not thought through what they were going to do with Naruto. "Can go swimming, perhaps shopping. You seemed to enjoy that."

Naruto nodded his head expectantly, beckoning the raven to continue. He didn't.

"Where are the meetings going to be held?" Naruto asked, getting Sasuke's attention. "I mean, if I need something or, well, you know." Itachi nodded slowly, unsure of what to tell him. His eyes visibly searched for an answer while he scavenged his brain to come up with an answer.

"You'll see." It was easy to see that Itachi wasn't used to keeping his mouth shut around his brother. They had the same job and lived in the same house; they were just used to talking with each other and not thinking of answers for a teenager who was simply curious. They just had never thought about it-- they never had too.

The rest of the plane ride went by quickly, most of the passengers passing the time by snoring their neighbor's ear.

--

So when they arrived at the hotel, they were all rested up and ready for the day to begin. The first thing that they all did was carry their bags up to the suite before assigning sleeping arrangements.

"Sasuke," Itachi sighed, "you are going to have to share a room with Naruto." He waited patiently for the outburst, but surprisingly, it did not come. Sasuke didn't even shake a fist at his elder.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, mildly surprised at the uncommon calmness of the room after a _'touchy'_ subject.

"You're bunking with Sasuke, Naruto" Itachi said, repeating what he said in reverse order. "Are you okay with that?" Naruto nodded his head yes, picking up his luggage and towing it off into the bedroom.

There were two bedrooms, but one room had a queen sized bed and the other had two twin beds. Since Sasuke was shorter than his brother, he had to take the twin bed. Neither Uchiha could sleep on the sofa out in the living room since there were only big loveseats and a few scattered armchairs that lacked the bed imitation.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" Itachi called in a smidge higher-than-normal voice. "We have to be at the meeting in 30 minutes!" He didn't get a response, but the raven knew that his younger had heard him.

"Naruto," Itachi welcomed the boy as he came out of the bedroom about five minutes after he had gone in there. "Do you want the key so you can go swim?" he asked, fidgeting with the labeled card.

"Can I shop instead?"

"If you can be back here by 5:45," Itachi cleared up, leaving no room for an excuse for being late. Naruto took out his phone and checked the time. His lower lip jutted out in annoyance before he looked the elder in the eyes pleadingly.

"Do you have bathing suit I can borrow?" Itachi nodded before disappearing in his room and then coming back with black swim trunks that had red striped running vertically along it. He handed them over to Naruto who nodded his head in thanks as he headed towards the bathroom to change.

When Naruto returned to the living room, he found that the Uchiha's had left for their meeting. So he grabbed the spare key off of the table and walked out of the room diligently, holding his head up high. He knew that almost everyone here knew the brothers, and none knew about him. So, of course, Naruto took this opportunity and turned it to be in his favor. He would impress the folks that saw him come out of the Uchiha room, he would make them wonder and respect him.

Crowding into the elevator with several finely-dressed workers, Naruto became slightly claustrophobic. He had never actually been in a small enclosure that was filled to the brim with men and women of all kind. His breathing became restrained as he prayed for the elevator doors to open soon. Upon arriving at the main floor, Naruto pushed and shoved his way out of the small compartment before leaning on a near-by wall while gasping heavily. _"Looks like my plan backfired…Now they probably think that I'm just a big loser,"_ The blond thought as the many people walked by him, throwing a few awkward and offended glances his way.

Naruto swam until the pool closed, which was around 11 o'clock. He showered quickly in the provided locker room before sliding on the elder raven's trunks and wrapping a towel around his untamable locks. He then went up to his shared room without encountering anybody. Naruto then walked purposefully, taking the slouch out of his posture as he came closer to his room. He almost cleared his throat when he heard the Uchiha's talking quietly. It was a struggle to hear what exactly the ravens were saying, but the blond did the best that he could.

"Itachi…Tuesday…Kit…private…" Naruto thought he heard, though he wasn't taking it to heart; simply taking a note on it before filing it back into the recesses of his mind. "Forty-eight hours in extensive observation." Sasuke said matter-of-fact, unaware of how loud he had become. Naruto heard Itachi shushing him, and so he decided to wait for a few minutes before taking his leave from the poorly-decorated hallway.

After the conversation had died down to subtle, unintelligible whisperings, the blond walked in, swiping the card and automatically unlocking the heavy wooden door. If the two were surprised by his entrance, their faces didn't show it. The teen then bounded over to the sofa where the two were sitting and sat down right in front of it, knowing from the look on Sasuke's face that if he sat on the sofa while his bottom was wet, he would be getting an earful.

Sasuke nodded approvingly at his decision before getting up and stalking off to his and Naruto's shared room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Naruto then turned his gaze to Itachi, smiling angelically. "Itachi, is there anything in the fridge?" He asked pleasantly—on his best behavior. "I swam for a really long time," Naruto reasoned before Itachi went to make him a tuna fish sand which. Naruto made a face at the smell, but otherwise ate it when it was brought to him. "Thanks." The elder nodded his head appreciatively.

"Itachi! Tell the idiot to be quiet when he decides to go to bed!" Sasuke yelled through the wall. Naruto made a slightly disgusted face at the nickname, though Itachi interpreted it differently.

"Naruto," He paused, taking in a deep breath, "sorry for my brother's inappropriate address. Please don't take offense." Of course, Naruto nodded like he had completely fallen for the Uchiha's gracefully handled situation. Of course he took offense, the snoot should know what he's talking about before he says something that he doesn't even know the half of it.

"It's alright, Itachi, I understand," The blond beamed before standing up clumsily. "I better head off to bed as well, I don't want to risk waking Sasuke up," He muttered as an afterthought before running off to the bedroom where he crawled under the sheets of his bed and pretended to sleep soundly.

Itachi then pulled out a well-kept book with a perverse cover on the top. He ripped the disgusting thing off of the book before settling down on the sofa. He simply skimmed the pages that were typed up for dummies and read the highlights of the book in detail, often rereading the page and/or paragraph numerous times before moving on.

Coming across a very interesting paragraph, Itachi pulled out a sheet of paper along with a sleek, silver pen. He then read the information aloud—in a voice no louder than a soft murmur—to jam-pack the information inside of his calculating mind.

'_Chapter 19: Unthinkable Possibilities._

_Though many thugs and such have not had the proper mental or physical training to understand exactly how to escape professionally trained law enforcement, others have. That or they are much more than they appear. _

_So to speak, if you reside in an 'everybody knows everybody' kind of town, the dealer may attempt to get close to you, to appear innocent and easily hurt. In most cases, this act is just merrily that—an act. _

_This makes the old saying, "be aware of your surroundings," even more important. It is very essential that you perform a background check on anyone who approaches you or tries to befriend you in some way. This can be done by simply observing them in a calculating manor or just taking notice of any odd personality outbursts. Everyone knows that true colors show, no matter how hard you try. (Read more about this topic in PREVENTION and OBSERVATION)_

_Another way someone may try to outsmart you would be to…'_

The raven wrote the general meaning of the section down on his two-page-long notes. Setting the book down on the table, Itachi stalked off to the kitchen to grab a glass of milk. Upon returning, Itachi took the book back to his room along with the wadded up book cover.

Heavy breathing filled the room as Naruto wrestled with his covers. His heartbeat was beating erratically as he tossed and turned in the small bed. His blankets fell on the floor and even in the dim light that the night-time sky provided; you could easily tell that the amount of perspiration accumulated on the blonds' brow was a great amount. He moaned as he gave another heated and frightened gasp.

As much as Sasuke tried to ignore the violently thrashing blond, he couldn't. His gasps were far too loud and the loud squawking of the bed gave him an awful headache. The raven even held the heavy brick-like pillow over his ears in a feeble attempt to block out the horrid sounds emanating from the blond.

"Mum…" Naruto whispered, tears flowing lightly down his marred cheeks. "Please…please don't go!" The teen's tanned arm outstretched towards the sky, grabbing at nothing but air. The salty droplets were flowing heavily now, they seemed unstoppable. "H-h-he doesn't—he doesn't love you…p-please, I-I love you!" Naruto all but shouted. It was the first time that the Uchiha's had heard him like this. They had never even given a second thought to the blonds' past, to the thoughts and memories that could be plaguing him as he lived through the day.

Naruto then broke out into a dreadful crying fit, the volume becoming softer and softer as it mingled with his soft murmurings until it was reduced to nothing more than a simple heaving of his chest in a desperate attempt to calm himself down.

Sasuke rolled over to look at Naruto, his face caked with tears as he slipped farther into unconsciousness where the dreams didn't terrorize him. Though he had been tempted to whack some sense into him, Sasuke thought differently after seeing him in such a weak and fragile shape. He couldn't even bare to look at his face while it held the evident sadness and hardships.

When Naruto woke up in the morning, he found that both Uchiha beds were empty. So, he looked around the suite, his eyes surveying the area for a note or something to let him know where they were and for how long the brothers would be gone. Finding none, he went over to the fridge, finding what he was just looking for—a note with an envelope attached.


End file.
